Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Vestibular Ageing

Abstract

While age-related auditory deficits and cochlear alterations are well described, those affecting the vestibular sensory organs and more broadly the central vestibular pathways are much less documented. Although there is inter-individual heterogeneity in the phenomenon of vestibular ageing, common tissue alterations, such as losses of sensory hair cells or primary and secondary neurons during the ageing process, can be noted. In this review, we document the cellular and molecular processes that occur during ageing in the peripheral and central vestibular system and relate them to the impact of age-related vestibular deficits based on current knowledge.